Gallego Joins Ed Markey Campaign As Field Organizer
Juan Gallego has joined Sen. Ed Markey’s campaign for re-election to the United States Senate as a Field Organizer. Juan has extensive campaign experience, having previously worked on the Committees to Elect Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Michael Gatlin and Damali Vidot. He also interned at the Office of U.S. Sen. Markey and worked as a Student Assistant for Distinguished Professor and former Massachusetts governor, Michael S. Dukakis at Northeastern University.
Juan is the Field Organizer for South End, Allston, Brighton, Fenway, Kenmore, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, Government Center, South Boston, Charlestown, East Boston, Chinatown, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop.
“Juan’s experience in government and politics, his drive to propel progressive policies forward, and his prior work for Ed Markey make him an important addition,” said Campaign Manager John Walsh. “His passion for grassroots campaigns is evident in his work and we are excited to have him join Team Markey.”
“I have always admired Senator Markey’s commitment to the fight against climate change. It is the most important issue to my generation and I am glad to be a part of a campaign that understands that now is the time to act,” said Gallego. “I am looking forward to making sure that the voters of Massachusetts organize for this progressive champion.”
Juan is from Chelsea and has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies from Northeastern University.
MassDOT Schedules Intermittent Overnight Closures of Route 1A Northbound and Southbound
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that there will be intermittent overnight highway lane closures on Route 1A northbound and southbound in East Boston beginning on Sunday, February 9. The closures are scheduled to take place over the next four weeks during the overnight hours of 11:59 p.m., through 5:00 a.m. on the evenings of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The closures are necessary to allow crews to remove existing overhead guide sign structures and install new sign structures along Route 1A at several locations. The work will require the closure of both northbound and southbound directions intermittently for 15 minutes at a time.
Traffic will be released after the 15 minutes, then once traffic clears, another 15 minute roadway closure will begin. This work will continue until all overhead guide sign structures have been installed.
Appropriate signage, law enforcement details, and advanced message boards will be in place to guide drivers through the work area.
Drivers who are traveling through the area should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.
All scheduled work is weather dependent and may be impacted due to an emergency.
For more information on traffic conditions travelers are encouraged to:
• Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions.
• Visit www.mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.
• Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.
• Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.
Lynn Man Sentenced for Role in $1.4 Million Bank Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme
A Lynn man was sentenced in federal court in Boston in connection with receiving and laundering approximately $1.4 million fraudulently obtained from a Korean company.
Chukwuemeka Eze, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 51 months in prison, five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $862,823 in restitution. In November 2019, Eze pleaded guilty to bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. Eze was arrested in June 2019 and has been held in federal custody since that time.
Eze admitted that he used a victim’s name, date of birth and Social Security number without permission to open bank accounts in the victim’s name and in the name of a fictitious Massachusetts corporation that Eze created, Levistronix GMB Ltd. Eze selected the name for Levistronix because of its similarity to Levitronix GmbH, an actual Swiss company. In May and June 2018, others involved in the scheme sent fake Levitronix invoices totaling approximately $1.4 million to a Korean company that was a Levitronix customer. The fake invoices directed the company to send the $1.4 million to Eze’s deceptively-named Massachusetts bank account.
When Eze received the money, he withdrew cash, and spent tens of thousands of dollars on retail purchases, including Apple laptops and Zales’ jewelry. He also purchased $700,000 in bank checks payable to other fictitious companies that he controlled, which he deposited into bank accounts in those companies’ names. Eze in turn made cash withdrawals, retail purchases and wire transfers from those bank accounts, all to conceal the fact that the money was the proceeds of the fraud scheme. In doing so, Eze spent or disbursed more than $862,000 of the Korean company’s money.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit prosecuted the case.